


Happy Birthday

by miss_whimsy



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 04:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8607706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_whimsy/pseuds/miss_whimsy
Summary: Robert gets a little carried away with Liv's birthday present.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For a prompt by [malfoible](http://archiveofourown.org/users/malfoible/pseuds/malfoible).

“What is that?”

Robert knew he’d gone too far. The entire drive up there he’d been second-guessing himself and as soon as they’d climbed out of the car he’d known. 

The best chance he had was to brazen it out.

“What does it look like?”

“It looks like a horse,” Aaron said quietly, coughing to cover up the fact that he was laughing himself sick.

“It’s a pony,” Robert corrected, bristling slightly. “A Shetland pony.”

“Why have you brought us here?” Liv asked, ignoring the way that Aaron snorted again.

“It’s your birthday present,” Robert murmured. “From me. Happy birthday.”

Liv looked from Robert to the pony and back to Robert with a frown. “You got me a horse?”

“Pony.”

 

He’d been thinking about Liv’s birthday for weeks, wondering what he could get her that she might enjoy, and no one had been able to help him. Aaron had bought tickets for her and Gabby to see some band she liked and had promised to take her there and sit in the back and not complain about her taste in music. He had no suggestions for what Robert could buy when he’d asked. 

Vic had said clothes, but he’d been certain that Liv would have burned any clothes he’d bought her on principle. Chas had suggested make-up until they’d both remembered this was Liv they were talking about and he’d been back at square one.

 _“What have you got her?”_ he’d asked, feeling defeated.

 _“She gave me a list of dvds,”_ Chas had told him. _“You could always ask her, you know.”_

 

“A pony.”

Aaron gave up on pretending he wasn’t laughing. Robert glared at him and folded his arms, feeling stupid. 

“Girls like ponies,” Robert told her. He’d been reliably informed that that was true. 

“When have I ever said I liked horses?” Liv asked. “Never that’s when.”

Robert flushed and looked away.

“It’s not like you can ride it,” Aaron told her and held out a brown paper bag. “Go and give it a carrot.”

“Did you know about this?” Liv asked, snatching the bunch of carrots from him.

“No,” Aaron said. “I just got suspicious when the carrots appeared. Go on. I want to talk to Robert.”

Liv turned and tramped across to the fence where the pony was happily munching on some hay.

“Don’t start,” Robert said, as soon as she was out of earshot. “I know it was stupid. I just panicked.”

“You panic bought a horse? Sorry, pony.” 

“Do you think you could stop laughing for like, two minutes, and help me fix this?” Robert snapped, his face still burning with embarrassment.

“You want my help?” Aaron asked, pointing at himself.

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”

“Oh yeah,” Aaron laughed. “Where exactly are we supposed to keep a Shetland pony, Rob?”

“It’s not my fault,” Robert argued. “Bernice said…”

“Look, I love Bernice,” Aaron interrupted. “She’s kind and she means well. But why would you think Bernice knows Liv better than you do?”

Robert frowned. “I don’t know her. I couldn’t think of anything to get her.”

Aaron watched him for a moment, nodding slowly. “What’s her favourite subject at school?”

“Art,” Robert said immediately. 

“And what’s her favourite film at the moment?”

“Doctor Strange,” Robert said. “Which I have massive issues with by the way.”

“Robert, we’re not talking about your nerd problems with that film right now. Or ever again if I have my way. You know her. What could you have bought her?”

“Art supplies,” Robert sighed. 

“Or?”

“Comics.”

“And not?”

“A pony.”

Aaron grinned and pulled Robert closer. “You tried. You get points for trying.”

“And what do points get me?” Robert asked, slipping his arms around Aaron’s waist.

“Get a room,” Liv yelled at them, making them step back from each other immediately. “Sebastian is too young to see you two slobbering all over each other.”

“You’ve named it?” Aaron asked as he and Robert moved to join her. 

“Yeah. Sebastian.”

“It’s a girl,” Robert pointed out.

“So?”

He held up his hands and shook his head. “Sebastian is a great name.”

“So you’re keeping it,” Aaron said. “You’re keeping the horse.”

“It’s my birthday present, isn’t it?” 

“Yes,” Robert said quickly. “Yes. Happy birthday.”

“You said that,” Liv said with a smile and fed Sebastian another carrot. “Thanks, Robert."

"You're welcome.

"I can’t wait to see how you top this at Christmas."


End file.
